Our mayor, Nancy McFarlane, is meeting today with the PD and the homeless assistance groups to find out wtf was going on; she doesn't recall there being an ordinance against feeding the homeless in that park, considering it's been done for months previously with no problems.

I'm not condoning the police behavior, but is there a chance they don't want the homeless congregating in that area waiting for a free meal, or is that a spot in Raleigh where there are already a large amount of homeless?

You would think after before that wonderfully detailed blog post and account, someone would have used that thing called the internet to look up the city's ordinances, instead of just complaining that they didn't know what laws they may or may not have been breaking.

Copper Spork:How is this any different from banning people from feeding rats and seagulls? It's a public health issue, and they are quite right to ban unsanitary behaviour.

Strike One: People vs. Rats and Seagulls?Strike Two: Public Health Issue? - " . . . as long as we did not block the sidewalk and cleaned up after ourselves. We have operated, unmolested, under this assumption for the last six years."Strike Three: beaviour (sic).

You can't give those sausage biscuits to the homeless because:1. There's a city ordinance against doing it in the park - OUTRAGE2. Sausage biscuits are unhealthy and cause obesity - THIS IS OK3. The biscuit dough is made from GMO wheat flour - APPLAUSE

Now, I know that I don't have it in me to be a cop (not just because I am out of shape because those photos clearly show that wouldn't hold me back), but I don't think any job would ever allow me to suspend my humanity to stand, with hot coffee IN MY HAND and tell 100 homeless and hungry people they couldn't have the hot coffee and food that is available to them.

Zeb Hesselgresser:Copper Spork: How is this any different from banning people from feeding rats and seagulls? It's a public health issue, and they are quite right to ban unsanitary behaviour.

Strike One: People vs. Rats and Seagulls?Strike Two: Public Health Issue? - " . . . as long as we did not block the sidewalk and cleaned up after ourselves. We have operated, unmolested, under this assumption for the last six years."Strike Three: beaviour (sic).

Zeb Hesselgresser:Copper Spork: How is this any different from banning people from feeding rats and seagulls? It's a public health issue, and they are quite right to ban unsanitary behaviour.

Strike One: People vs. Rats and Seagulls?Strike Two: Public Health Issue? - " . . . as long as we did not block the sidewalk and cleaned up after ourselves. We have operated, unmolested, under this assumption for the last six years."Strike Three: beaviour (sic).

Zeb Hesselgresser:Copper Spork: How is this any different from banning people from feeding rats and seagulls? It's a public health issue, and they are quite right to ban unsanitary behaviour.

Strike One: People vs. Rats and Seagulls?Strike Two: Public Health Issue? - " . . . as long as we did not block the sidewalk and cleaned up after ourselves. We have operated, unmolested, under this assumption for the last six years."Strike Three: beaviour (sic).

Your[sic] out.

You go through all the trouble of (sic)ing a spelling mistake that isn't even there? Drunk on a Monday morning? Or still drunk from Sunday night?

In other words, the city government is saying it wasn't them, and it's looking like an overzealous police officer (or police supervisor who sent the officers out) who was looking at making up his own rules and breaking this up even though there was no explicit law/regulation against it. . .that or because of massive PR backlash the Mayor decided to disavow all knowledge of this plan to shoo out the homeless by ending the feeding, and since there was nothing in writing with her giving the order and it didn't directly violate a city ordinance, somebody at the Raleigh PD is going to be taking the fall for this.

You can't give those sausage biscuits to the homeless because:1. There's a city ordinance against doing it in the park - OUTRAGE2. Sausage biscuits are unhealthy and cause obesity - THIS IS OK3. The biscuit dough is made from GMO wheat flour - APPLAUSE

Typical liberal lack of understanding of basic math. If the number of homeless people goes down due to death, the unemployment rate goes down. Didn't they teach you elementary statistics in your African American Womyn's Studies class?

ilikeracecars:I'm not condoning the police behavior, but is there a chance they don't want the homeless congregating in that area waiting for a free meal, or is that a spot in Raleigh where there are already a large amount of homeless?

Moore Square downtown is the most well-known place in Raleigh where homeless people congregate.

I doubt the mayor had a thing to do with it; more likely a Raleigh PD thing. Though I'm sure it pleases the governor greatly, I doubt he had anything to do with it either. It's just yet more "I've got mine, so fark you".

Pissing on the poor is practically the national pastime for these oh-so-christian scumbags.

Quantum Apostrophe:Zeb Hesselgresser: Copper Spork: How is this any different from banning people from feeding rats and seagulls? It's a public health issue, and they are quite right to ban unsanitary behaviour.

Strike One: People vs. Rats and Seagulls?Strike Two: Public Health Issue? - " . . . as long as we did not block the sidewalk and cleaned up after ourselves. We have operated, unmolested, under this assumption for the last six years."Strike Three: beaviour (sic).

Your[sic] out.

You go through all the trouble of (sic)ing a spelling mistake that isn't even there? Drunk on a Monday morning? Or still drunk from Sunday night?

Certainly You Jest:Pissing on the poor is practically the national pastime for these oh-so-christian scumbags.

Is there a condo development around there? Can't have poor people hanging around getting in the way of the revenue stream for realtors, inspectors, banks, notaries/lawyers, school boards and municipal taxes. Not to mention crooked construction companies.

LeoffDaGrate:You would think after before that wonderfully detailed blog post and account, someone would have used that thing called the internet to look up the city's ordinances, instead of just complaining that they didn't know what laws they may or may not have been breaking.

1/10.

You would think that if the church folks were truly committed to their charity, they would have proceeded to hand out the food, consequences be damned.

Bendal:Our mayor, Nancy McFarlane, is meeting today with the PD and the homeless assistance groups to find out wtf was going on; she doesn't recall there being an ordinance against feeding the homeless in that park, considering it's been done for months previously with no problems.

The churches have done this for six years without problem from the police.

I highly doubt it was a decision by the police at all, much less the actual ones showing up to enforce it.

By all means go off about 'just following orders' or whatever, but this is an issue with lazy voters putting assholes in charge. If people spent half the time they waste biatching about pigs and devoted it to political activism we would be in a much better place.

ur14me:LeoffDaGrate: You would think after before that wonderfully detailed blog post and account, someone would have used that thing called the internet to look up the city's ordinances, instead of just complaining that they didn't know what laws they may or may not have been breaking.

1/10.

You would think that if the church folks were truly committed to their charity, they would have proceeded to hand out the food, consequences be damned.